Harvesting at data centre construction sites has prompted discussion. Metsä Group has neither carried out nor commissioned harvesting operations at Google’s data centre construction sites in Kajaani or Muhos in Finland. At no point has Metsä Group acted unlawfully, nor has it purchased wood or harvesting rights from Google.
A supplier we had assessed as reliable had delivered a small volume of wood to Metsä Group before the issue came to light: approximately 5,000 cubic metres from Kajaani, and around 50 cubic metres from Muhos. Together, these volumes correspond to approximately 0.3% of Metsä Group’s monthly wood consumption.
“The wood supplier did not comply with the terms of our agreement. We have therefore filed a complaint with the supplier and immediately suspended deliveries when the uncertainties came to our attention in mid-September,” says Juha Jumppanen, EVP, Metsä Group’s Wood Supply and Forest Services.
Under all our wood supply agreements, we require that wood delivered to Metsä Group is legally sourced and meets our requirements concerning the origin of wood. Each party in the wood supply chain is responsible for complying with applicable legislation and certification requirements. We regularly assess our suppliers through audits, and certified suppliers are also subject to oversight by an independent third party.
If wood whose origin is disputed has already been processed at a production site, Metsä Group removes an equivalent volume of wood from the certified volume in accordance with applicable guidelines. This ensures that the reported share of certified wood remains accurate.
We continue to monitor the situation and act in accordance with the authorities’ guidance.